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dc.description.abstract

A wearable, multi-modal sensor is presented that
can non-invasively monitor a patient’s activity level and heart
function concurrently for more than a week. The 4in² sensor
incorporates both a non-contact heartrate sensor and a 5-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), allowing simultaneous
heart, respiration, and movement monitoring without requiring
physical contact with the skin [1]. Hence, this Oregon State
University Life and Activity Monitor (OLAM) provides the
unique opportunity to combine motion data with heart-rate
information, enabling assessment of actual physical activity
beyond conventional movement sensors. OLAM also provides a
unique platform for non-contact sensing, enabling the filtering
of movement artifacts generated by the non-contact capacitive
interface, using the IMU data as a movement noise channel.
Intended to be used in clinical trials for weeks at a time with
no physician intervention, the OLAM allows continuous noninvasive
monitoring of patients, providing the opportunity for
long-term observation into a patient’s physical activity and
subtle longitudinal changes.